Nightmares Seem to Stay Away, When I'm in His Arms
by Debstennersson
Summary: Natasha has constant nightmares about her near death experience with the Hulk. Clint hears her screams and comes to comfort her one night. She always has the nightmare because she's never told Clint her feelings toward him. Will she tell him tonight or let another day slip by without him knowing the truth before another near death or death experience?


Running. Sweating. Fear. You could see it in my eyes. I've never been as terrified as I was right now, but I had to stay strong, but I couldn't. Me. Natasha Romanoff. Couldn't stay strong. I feared for every minute. This is the closest to death I've ever been. Where I could just feel the Grim Reaper creeping upon me, getting my grave ready. Ready to take me. All I could do was think. Think of the horrible things that would be done... Maybe he'd rip my throat out, watch the blood pour everywhere. Or he'd go piece by piece, making sure I felt every limb rip away from me. Or he'd just crush me. That wasn't the worst thing going on in my head though... It was knowing that I'd never get to speak to Clint again. Never to see him again. Never to get him out of Loki's spell. Never getting to tell him I loved him... Never getting to show him how much I cared and loved him. This was it. I sat, shaking, in pain, terrified, unable to move by the shock of fear, ready for death...but I always wake up.  
I found myself sitting up screaming. My eyes wet. My body actually shaking. I was hot. So hot I was drenched in sweat. I just sat up, pulling my knees to my chest and was about to begin to sob. These nightmares were almost near constant now. The Hu... Other Guy, murdering me. All because of my near death experience with that. It replayed over and over in my head. As I was sobbing I heard my door fling open, and immediately, my head flew up and I tried to hide the tears, but I knew I didn't need to when I saw him. Clint.  
He came rushing over to my bed.  
"Nat, Nat what happened?!" He was so concerned as he knelt down and put a hand on my shoulder. His touch made me shiver. Everytime. "Why are you so hot?! Tash! Please, what's wrong?!" I couldn't even speak. I just stared at him in his calming eyes. He got off the floor and sat next to me on the bed, putting his strong, comforting arm around my shoulder. I leaned my head against his neck. "Natasha... Please." he pled to me. "Let me help you. I've never seen you like this."  
"I..." I stuttered. I was so terrified. "..I.. Was having a nightmare." I managed to choke out.  
"What happened? You know you can tell me, Nat. We're partners. I'm here for you when the going gets tough... And for anything else you need."  
"It wa..was about Banner," I managed that partial sentence. "when he was close t...ttt..." I couldn't speak. Clint pulled me into his lap, and wrapped his arms around me. I felt like they were walls built to protect me when he had them wrapped around me.  
"When he was close to...killing me." I choked out. I began to sob instantly. And there was no controlling it. It just came. He began stroking my head. It was so comforting. So reassuring.  
"Nat, you're safe. You made it. You're safe. You're a strong woman, Natasha. It's never going to happen again. You're fine." he told me, still stroking my head. "Why do you still have nightmares when you're safe and it'll never happen again?"  
"Because I..." I couldn't say it. I've never told Clint how I felt. Never. What we were doing now was just our way as friends, partners comforting one another. It was nothing romantic. I don't think he even feels the same way. "I...I jus..." he turned me toward him, while I was still in his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me.  
"Natasha... You can tell me anything. Please tell me why you're having nightmares. I'll make whatever it is disappear. Never to haunt you again." he pled to me. I stared into his eyes. He stared just as intimately back. Although I probably look horrible. Red, puffy, wet eyes, him though. He looked like a damaged angel. An angel. He's perfect. I took a deep breathe and went in for the plunge.  
"Because I thou...thought that was it. I thought I was never going to get to see you again. Talk to you again. Get you out of Loki's spell..." I started to shake again, my eyes becoming wetter. "I..I I...I... I thought I was never going to get to tell you tha...that..." I couldn't. I was breathing heavy now, while sobbing in between. Clint held my face with his rough, yet soothing hands.  
"Tell me what, Nat."  
"Tha... That I love you." I told him, with every ounce of my heart poured into it. I began to shake even worse and my sobbing instantly started, but as I leaned in to lay my head on his shoulder and cry into it, his lips were on mine. He was still caressing my face and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in. His hands moved down to just below my ribcage. He slid his tongue against my lips, then I let him slide into my mouth. His arms tightened around my waist, pulling me in closer. It was burning. I was hotter than before. The closeness was so exhilarating. It's everything I wanted. He smiled against my lips, as well as I against his.  
"I love you, too, Tasha." he whispered against my lips. I locked him in another kiss, bitting down on his lip, as well as he did me. He pulled us down on the bed. Before I could take everything in, my shorts and tank were on the floor, as well as his shirt. I ran my hand along his chest, taking every inch of him in. As his hands worked their way down to my hips, I moaned against his lips and he pulled me right against him. His hands then moving down more, to the curve of my butt. Normally I would've killed someone for this. I pulled away slightly from his lips, still only millimeters away from them. We stared into each other's eyes.  
"I love you so much, Clint." I whispered to him, while I was running my thumb along his cheek. He had his hands around my waist and he slid me to the side of him, turning toward me, arms still wrapped around me, and now I was wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.  
"I love you too, Tasha." he whispered and pressed another kiss to my forehead, my nose, my cheek, my neck, then lastly my lips. "I want your nightmares to stay away. I'll make them stay away."  
"They will now." I reassured him. "Goodnight."  
"Goodnight, baby." he whispered. He pulled me closer to him so I could lay my head against his broad, strong chest. My arms were still around him, his arms still around me, making sure I was as close to him as possible. He was pressing kisses to the top of my head throughout the night, and for the first time ever...the nightmares stayed away, and well... They never returned.


End file.
